Almost a year after their first North American tour announcement back in May 2024, Japanese Shibuya Kei band Lamp came back to the United States for their second tour, this time adding some South American venues as well.
The creative project of vocalists and instrumentalists Yusuke Nagai and Kaori Sakakibara and guitarist Taiyo Someya, Lamp was formed in February 2000, during the members’ college years. Yusuke Nagai and Kaori Sakakibara are the vocalists and multi-instrumentalists, with Taiyo Someya as the guitarist.
Mainly performing in Japan, with occasional performances around Asia, Future Behind Me 2025 will be Lamp’s second time touring in North America. However, the group has been playing more in the United States. In 2024, the group opened for Mitski’s North American tour. That same year, the band began its first solo North American tour.
Performing in Los Angeles on Nov. 6 and 7 at the House of Blues in Anaheim, fans lined up hours before the doors were opened, ecstatic for the rare opportunity to see Lamp perform live.
There were many people within the audience who had seen Lamp in the previous year and had returned to see the band once more. Tatiana Brekkestran, a fan who saw Lamp during their last tour in San Diego, came back to see Lamp a second time.
“They were phenomenal last year. Their live vocals were really great. Every time I listen to Lamp, I think about how good they were in person, so I’m just hoping for that exact same quality,” Brekkenstran said.
Phenomenal they were. The band didn’t skip a beat, opening the concert with “From the Window” and performing other iconic songs such as “Yume Utsutsu” and “HIROGARU-NAMIDA.” The venue lit up the small space with ambient blues and purples as the concert went on.
While not fluent in English, the members tried their best to interact with the audience, engaging in small talk about how they met in college, and how it was one of the musicians’ birthdays. If they messed up, the band and audience simply laughed it off.
With the rise of the popularity of Japanese music in the West, what once seemed like a niche genre is now gaining popularity and a bigger audience. The venue was filled with people of all backgrounds, all genders and ethnicities.
“When I first heard about Lamp’s music, I think I heard it from a friend at UCI. I’m originally from Boston, and I feel like, over there, Asian artists aren’t that popular. When I went to UCI, people like beabadoobee or Laufey, they’re like Drake level, but at home, they’re very niche artists,” Leo Wu-Hacohen, a current third year at UCI, said.
Lamp represents one of many Japanese artists and groups that have found new fans in the U.S. after gaining popularity on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. Similar to Masayoshi Takanaka’s first American show, with this newfound audience Lamp has been given the opportunity to play for a new generation of fans.
The venue was filled with soft instrumentals and a relaxing vibe, with the audience quietly swaying to the beat. Finally, Lamp ended the concert with an encore of their two popular songs “For Lovers” and “Last Train at 25 O’Clock.” The audience erupted in cheers when Lamp said their farewells and took a commemorative group photo with the audience.
We’ll just have to hope that Lamp comes back again for round three.